Saudi King Seeks Oil-Pact Extension on ‘Epochal’ Russia Visit

Salman, Putin to meet as ties warm between one-time rivals Saudi visit shows Russia’s Middle East influence after Syria Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz is making an historic first visit to Russia by a monarch of the Gulf kingdom as he and President Vladimir Putin seek an understanding on whether to extend an agreement curbing oil supplies. King Salman is due to meet with Putin on Thursday after he arrived for the four-day official visit late Wednesday. His journey to Moscow, ahead of planned talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington early next year, underscores a shift in strategic direction by Saudi Arabia as Russian influence in the Middle East expands following Putin’s military intervention in Syria. Photographer: Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images “Is there really anything in the world that’s absolutely permanent?” Putin told an energy forum in Moscow on Wednesday, in response to a question about […]